The Ataris Announce Livestream

Oh my god just release the album already.

 

Every time I see a post about this band it bums me out more than anything. "Welcome the Night" should've put them into a whole other arena, and it still makes me sad it flopped so hard (although I absolutely love it) and that (it seems) in order to keep going as The Ataris, they just keep hitting that nostalgia train super, suuuuper hard. This band should've been so much more. Genuinely think Kris is a fantastic lyric writer.

 

I have no interest in revisiting their old stuff but agree i would've liked to see what future chapters had in store for this band. From what i could tell from the stories on this website, it seems like the band has no one to blame but themselves, right?

 

I for one will watch and enjoy. They pretty much have only played stuff off Astoria live for the last 12 years. I guess as long as there are Mes out there that will keep buying whatever shit they do, there’s no reason to spend a bunch of money making an album that’ll sell a few hundred copies

 

Kris has been doing livestreams consistently for free all throughout the pandemic and telling stories from his life, touring, bands, etc. and he seems like a legitimately good person. He's obviously just way in his own head about the new music. He has said for years he has over 100 songs written. If he is struggling to narrow it down the more time that passes the more opportunities he has to write and make the struggle that much harder. He wants to be perfect and I think he just needs to settle for good at this point if he ever hopes to get another release out.

 

I still listen to Welcome The Night regularly, super underrated album

 

Yeah it's crazy these guys/Kris still haven't gotten that album out.

 

I can’t think of any other album I’ve done as hard of a 180 on. I remember buying WtN at target the day it came out for a bonus track or something and being just shy of figuratively burning all my Ataris stuff after one listen.

 

Wonder if it's a money thing keeping him from recording this, or if he's honestly just second, third, fourth, and fifth guessing himself during the writing process. Feel like he needs someone to step in and help him narrow down what he wants this album to be, then force him to hunker down and finish it if that's the case.

 

It's too bad because all of the new songs that have come out in the last ten years (that felt weird to type) that are supposed to be on it are probably my favorite songs he has ever done. All Souls Day and Graveyard of the Atlantic are probably my two favorite Ataris songs and they were the first two songs released from this album.

 

All Souls Day is on the remastered Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtrack. That's like the hall of fame of punk rock songs. That alone should let him know he's going in the right direction. I'm excited for the day we (hopefully) finally hear a new album.

 

Silver Turns to Rust, especially the vinyl version with a bunch of acoustic tracks, competes in my book as a “new album.” I kinda hope when Graveyard is finally released it will be all new songs. We’re approaching Chinese Democracy territory here.

 

I gave up on Graveyard around 2018 (around the 10 year mark of them first talking about it). I think at this point Kris has moved on from that collection of songs and has been done with that era for some time now. He seems comfortable with doing what he's been doing the past few years and that's a bummer because the Graveyard era stuff was some of his best. He doesn't really talk about those songs anymore nor does he really talk about the album anymore. So I think it's done and he's moved on.

 

Nice to see some positivity regarding Welcome the Night. I maintain that album is vastly underrated and misunderstood.

I've spoken on and off with Kris for a number of years and from what I gather, the backlash for Welcome the Night really knocked the confidence he had in his songwriting.

It's a shame because from the new album demos I've heard, albeit without vocals, it may be his best work - think the urgency of So Long, Astoria meets the alt-rock of Welcome the Night, with a little Replacements on the side.

Sure, it's easy to knock Kris. I mean, how many anniversary tours do we need? Oh, and let's not even talk about drummers. But he's an incredibly genuine person who loves music and his fans.

Hopefully we'll see a new album someday.

And for anyone who didn't know, Kris has uploaded a vast amount of b-sides, demos, and live recordings all for pay what you want download.

 

Yeah, Kris is a bit of a puzzle. I wonder what he does for a job? He can't be making a living purely off the Ataris, right?

 

He owns or owned a record store in Cali I believe

 

He’s living off that Boys of Sunmer money

 

I revisited the album last night because of this thread. I really enjoyed it. He’s a fantastic songwriter.

 

Down on Haley closed in 2004, sadly.

As far as I'm aware, Kris does make his living from The Ataris.

 

Welcome the Night is a masterpiece and all the Graveyard songs that were released are fantastic as well.

Kris is one of my favorite songwriters and I'm ready for whatever music he wants to put into the world.

 

Nice, I hope that's the case. I just want to live in a world where every band I listened to when I was younger can somehow still count music/art as their primary source of income.